Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

Despite the morning's harrowing events, the departure from Starlight was surprisingly subdued. The town had already seen enough chaos; perhaps the quiet departure was a welcome contrast. Four wagons, laden with gear and the expertise of handpicked specialists, rolled out toward the west, creaking softly under the weight of their burdens.

Gary's caravan guards kept a vigilant watch, their eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of trouble. Harvey and Xander's adventuring teams flanked the convoy, their presence a reassuring shield. The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows behind them as the expedition set off, their path stretching out into the unknown. Each caravan member knew the risks ahead, but there was no turning back.

As they passed the last remnants of Starlight's outer defenses, the town quickly receded into the distance, becoming just another memory in the journey's wake. The air grew still as the familiar sights of home faded from view, replaced by the vast, untamed wilderness that stretched out before them. Each step forward was a step into the unknown, the road ahead fraught with danger but also laced with the tantalizing promise of discovery. The expedition had begun in earnest, and with each mile, the group steeled themselves for whatever lay ahead.

The caravan moved steadily westward, the dust of their departure still hanging in the air as the outer lookout posts of Starlight disappeared into the haze. With a strange finality, the moment sealed the past, leaving only the journey. The surrounding land was harsh, starkly contrasting to the relative safety they had just left behind. Yet they pressed on, their course shifting northward as they approached the remnants of Interstate 57.

The interstate, once a vital artery of civilization, now stretched out before them like a lifeless scar upon the earth. The cracked asphalt bore witness to a world that had once thrummed with life and movement. Where there had once been the hum of engines and the rush of travelers, there was only silence.

As they turned northwest, the caravan followed the broken line of the highway. The group's eyes scanned the horizon, alert to the dangers lying in wait and the opportunities that might arise. Once a pathway to countless destinations, the interstate was now a graveyard. Its lanes littered with the decaying remnants of a world that had fallen to ruin.

Rusting vehicles lay scattered across the road, their bodies twisted and crumpled as if by some immense force. Panicked collisions during the apocalypse's chaotic first moments piled some vehicles together in tangled heaps. Others were isolated, their tires deflated, and rims embedded deep in the cracked asphalt. The damage was old, the scars of a world torn apart by forces that no longer roamed the immediate area but had left their mark.

Here and there, evidence of these early horrors remained. Some vehicles bore the unmistakable signs of savage attacks as doors ripped from their hinges, hoods torn asunder, and windshields smashed into jagged shards. A few roofs had been caved in, as if something monstrous had pounced from above, crushing the metal beneath its weight. The remnants of dried blood still stained the interiors of these cars, black and flaky under the relentless sun.

But the most haunting relics were the remains of the people who had once driven these vehicles. Scattered bones, bleached by exposure to the elements, lay strewn across the road and the overgrown shoulders. Some still wore the tattered rags of their last moments. Others had shed the remnants of flesh, their bones picked clean by scavengers. These bodies told their own tragic stories of terror, of desperate attempts to flee, and of the brutal end that had awaited them. A few had been torn apart, their skeletons twisted in unnatural ways that spoke of violence.

Xander, at the head of the convoy, brought the caravan to a halt. He dismounted the wagon he was currently riding, landing with a sold thud onto the asphalt, the weight of his armor creaking softly as he moved toward the nearest cluster of bones. His expression was grave, his features set in a mask of calm that belied the storm of emotions beneath. He knelt beside the remains, his gloved hand hovering over them before making contact. With a quiet voice, he cast sanctify. The soft glow of the spell enveloped the remains, offering peace to the souls torn from this world so violently. The surrounding air seemed to still, as if even the wind respected the sanctity of the moment.

"Five-minute break!" Harvey called.

Harvey watched from a distance, his eyes scanning the horizon. Though the caravan's size had been enough to keep most of the smaller packs of predators at bay, the threat was never far from his mind. The surrounding landscape was desolate, the flat Midwest plains offering little cover but plenty of space for dangers to lurk just out of sight. Harvey's instincts were sharp, and they were telling him that something was off. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, though from where he couldn't tell.

Xander's voice rose slightly as he finished the spell, his hand tracing a symbol in the air before he stood. He met Harvey's gaze, a silent exchange passing between them.

"I hate to say it, but we can't keep stopping," Xander said, coming to stand beside Harvey.

"This sucks," Harvey replied.

"Not going to get any argument from me. I think we skip stopping until we get to Sadorus. We can always have a team come back this way specifically to clean up and sanctify remains." Xander said.

"You sure we're going to find supplies at Sadorus? I'm all for heading straight there because I'm not sure if you've caught it, but something is off. I'm not sure if we're being followed or stalked."

"Yeah, Harv. This is just like what happened to Jo, Zoey, and me when we were coming in from Philo. That's why I want to get to a more defensible position before stopping for the night." Xander replied as he cast a glance at the way the caravan had traveled.

Xander had convinced the group to alter their original course. He had spoken of Sadorus, a small town that once housed around seven hundred people, a place that might still hold the needed supplies. Food, medicine, maybe even survivors. It was a gamble, but one worth taking. The town's remote location likely kept larger scavenging parties away, but there was always the chance that others had already looted it.

"Breaks over! Mount up. We push straight through to Sadorus," Harvey called.

"We need to find some horses or something," Zoey grumbled as she and Jo got down from the wagons. The two teams had been taking turns walking alongside the caravan since there wasn't enough space for everyone to ride.

The caravan pressed on through the desolate landscape, the distant sun inching ever closer to the horizon, casting long shadows stretching endlessly before them. Like the trip so far, the road to Sadorus was quiet, the silence only broken by the occasional creak of the wagons and the sound of soft conversations among the weary expedition.

The terrain grew more barren as they ventured deeper into the heart of the Midwest farmland. Fields of dead corn thinning out, their skeletal stalks reaching skyward like the twisted fingers of some ancient, forgotten god. Xander chuckled as he remembered friends from New York City who had visited and had never seen corn fields before. They marveled at the fact that genetically modified corn in the heartland would grow to be seven or eight feet tall. For a moment, he wondered what had happened to his friends.

Harvey kept a vigilant watch. Despite the relative calm, a sense of unease had settled over the group, a feeling that something unseen lurked just beyond their sight, waiting. The road, once paved and smooth, had crumbled into a patchwork of cracked asphalt and overgrown weeds, the occasional rusted signpost standing as a grim reminder of the world that had once been.

As the day waned, the group finally saw the Sadorus in the distance, a dark smudge against the glowing sky. The sight brought little relief. There was something wrong, something profoundly unsettling about the town's silhouette, even from afar. The closer they came, the more clear it became that they would not find survivors.

By the time the caravan reached the outskirts of the town, the sun had dipped low, casting the world in the muted hues of twilight. Sadorus stood before them, a burned-out husk of a town, its buildings reduced to charred skeletons, blackened timbers standing in stark contrast against the dusky sky. The place was deathly quiet, devoid of the usual sounds of wind rustling through leaves or birds calling from the treetops. It was as if the air held its breath, waiting for the penny to drop.

Xander dismounted, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the destruction. Sadorus was worse than anything he had seen before, even in the neighboring ruins of Philo and Sidney. There, the damage had mainly been the work of fires. But here… something far more terrible had torn this town apart. Debris littered the ground. Shattered glass, broken bricks, and the twisted remnants of what might once have been homes and shops. Gaping holes marred the landscape as if a wrecking ball had ripped through the very heart of the town, leaving nothing but ruin in its wake as a toddler would have scattered building blocks.

"It looks like a tornado came through here," Jo said, taking in the surrounding destruction.

"Something big or several somethings barreled through here. It reminds me a little of what we saw from the Troll back in Tolono, but on a larger scale," Zoey commented.

"Let us hope that this isn't where we find out dragons are a real thing now," Xander said with a nervous laugh.

Smoke and burnt earth filled the air with a strong, unpleasant smell. Every step the group took stirred up a fine layer of ash, the remnants of a fire that had since burned out. Xander's heart sank as he led the group further into the town, his hopes of finding supplies dwindling with each passing moment. The destruction was too thorough to have left anything of use behind.

They ventured deeper into Sadorus, the fading light casting eerie shadows across the ruins. The group moved cautiously, their senses on high alert. Harvey's hand never strayed far from the hilt of his weapon, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of movement. But there was nothing. Only the remnants of a town that something had obliterated.

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The group stopped at what might have once passed for a town square, though nothing remained to confirm it. Cobblestones pressed up like old bones beneath their boots, as if the ground itself had buckled. Around them, what had been buildings now formed skeletal mounds of blackened timber and shattered brick, more rubble than shelter, scattered like remnants from a careless god's game.

Above, a bruised sky deepened to purple, the first stars piercing through the haze in hesitant flickers. Darkness crawled between the ruins, smothering the last traces of color from the horizon. Whatever had torn this place apart hadn't just destroyed its structures, it had scraped the soul from the town and left nothing but ash.

Harvey sighed, his breath visible in the cooling air. "Set up camp here," he barked. "We'll search what's left in the morning."

"Gary!" Harvey called out, waving Gary over as Xander joined them. "I'm thinking we should double the guard tonight. One squad of guards, along with one adventuring team."

"Can't say that I like our situation here. I agree on the guards. We don't have enough wagons for a full circle, but I'd like to get them into a bit of a formation, so we have a bit of cover if it goes sideways in the middle of the night," Gary said.

"Damn Gary, you're going all in on this caravan guard thing, aren't you?" Xander joked, slapping Gary on the back. It'd only been a few short days since Philo, but Gary was grabbing hold of the second change Xander had given him.

Laughing, Gary responded, "More than you know. Once we got the offer to be the expedition guards, a bunch of us got a class change prompt. I'm a Caravan Guard Captain now. It's got some good defense strategy bonuses."

"Damn, man, that's nice. Going to get a lot of mileage out of that! Congrats," Harvey exclaimed.

Under Gary's steady guidance, the group quickly set about establishing their camp with the practiced efficiency one would expect from a bunch of engineers. They arranged the wagons in a protective semi-circle, forming a barrier against the unknown dangers of the night. The expedition members worked swiftly within this perimeter, unfurling tents and securing them to the ground.

As they staked the final tent and secured the last bundle, the camp resembled a small, temporary village. They kindled the fire at the heart of the encampment, and its flickering flames gradually chased away the deepening shadows. The warmth and light drew the weary travelers together, and soon, they gathered around the fire, its glow casting long, dancing shadows across their tired faces. The crackle of the flames provided a soothing rhythm.

Xander, Harvey, and Gary moved through the camp, ensuring all was in order before returning to the fire. They organized the watch, dividing the hours into shifts so no one would face the unknown alone.

Harvey stood near the fire, his figure outlined against the glow as he unfurled a worn map, its edges frayed from being stored in some glove box for who knows how long. A serious expression set his face as he surveyed the gathered group.

Rain had begun to fall in a light drizzle, its drops hissing as they met the flames, sending up tiny tendrils of steam. A few grumbles rose from the circle as the dampness seeped into clothes and bedding, but Harvey silenced them with a look.

"Listen up," Harvey began. "Our goal is Mahomet, and we'll be heading straight north to get there.Today, we got lucky, and I'm not counting on that luck to hold."

He pointed to the map, tracing a line with his finger as he spoke. "There are several cemeteries along the way, here, here, and here," he said, tapping the wax-coated paper. "These places spawn points for the undead, as we all know. We'll likely have to deal with them, so I want everyone on high alert."

"We'll make our next overnight stop in Seymour," he continued. "It's a small place, but we'll need to be cautious. If everything goes according to plan, we should reach Mahomet late on the third day. Questions?"

The rain fell harder, drumming softly against the canvas of the tents and pattering on the packed earth around the campfire. A few disgruntled mutters rose from the group, and one of the expedition experts, a stocky man named Braden, spoke up, his voice tinged with frustration. "Rain's just what we need, isn't it? As if things weren't miserable enough."

"Rain or not, we've got a job to do. Stay focused, and we'll get through this," Harvey said.

The group fell silent. The rain continued to fall in a steady rhythm, adding an extra layer of discomfort to the already heavy atmosphere. Harvey folded the map and tucked it away, his expression resolute.

"Get some food and rest while you can," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. "We move at first light."

As Harvey called for the group to settle in and get something to eat, the expedition members slowly dispersed from the campfire, each retreating to their small circles of familiarity. The weary travelers unpacked the provisions they had brought, huddling under the sparse cover of tents and wagons to avoid the continued rain.

Zoey, Xander, and Jo found a spot away from the main fire, a small patch of semi-dry ground beneath an ancient oak that had somehow survived the ravages of whatever had torn the town a new one and the apocalypse. The tree's broad branches provided a modest shelter, the leaves rustling softly in the breeze. They sat in a tight circle, the sound of the distant fire barely reaching them. Xander reached into the spatial inventory of his survival belt and pulled out a few carefully wrapped sandwiches, their contents still fresh from the inn they had left behind.

"Thought these might come in handy," Xander remarked, handing one to Zoey and another to Jo. There was a smile on his lips. "Not exactly a feast, but better than dried rations."

Zoey accepted the sandwich with a grateful nod, her stomach growling in response to the smell of fresh bread and cured meat. "You always think ahead, don't you?" she said.

"My dad always used to make fun of me for my 'be prepared' motto. Wish he was still around, so I could say I told you so," Xander joked.

Jo, seated cross-legged beside Xander, unwrapped her own sandwich. The simple meal was a welcome respite from the day's tensions. The campfire barely reached them, and in the dim twilight, their small gathering felt almost private, a momentary escape from the looming dangers.

"I almost wish we had found something to fight," Jo said between mouthfuls. "It was almost more stressful being on high alert the entire day."

Xander ate in silence for a few moments, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. His gaze drifted over the ruins of Sadorus, his mind piecing together the scattered memories of the place as it once was. The sandwich in his hand was half-forgotten. Finally, he looked up at Zoey and Jo, his voice quiet but firm.

"After we eat," he began, "Zoey, I need your help checking on something. There was a man I knew who lived around here. A doomsday prepper, always stockpiling for the end of the world. He had a place just on the far edge of town. Given the state of Sadorus, it's unlikely he's still alive. But it would be him if anyone could've survived what happened here. And even if he didn't… there's a better than average chance his supply cache is still salvageable."

Zoey paused mid-bite. "You think there's a chance we might find something useful?"

Xander nodded. "His setup was serious. Underground storage, reinforced shelter. If the cache is still there, it could have supplies we desperately need. Food, medicine, weapons… who knows what else?"

Jo finished her sandwich, wiping her hands on Xander's pants before leaning forward. "I knew that's why you wanted Harvey to take the expedition this way. You want to see if Dustin's storage unit is still there. If it's there, we should find it. We've already seen how bad things are in Sadorus; the sooner we leave, the better. Do you think it's untouched? Dustin didn't exactly keep it a secret."

"Maybe," Xander admitted, "But I doubt it. Though he was paranoid, and he knew how to hide. Unless someone knew exactly where to look, they'd never find it. Even if everyone knew he had it."

Zoey glanced at the campfire where the others were finishing their meals, then back at Xander. "Alright, I'm in. If we're going to check it out, we need to do it before the night gets any darker. The last thing we need is to be caught out in the open if whatever tore this town apart comes back."

"Thanks, Zoey. I know it's a risk, but it could be worth it."

Jo gave a quick nod, preparing herself mentally for the task ahead. "Let's just hope Dustin was as good at hiding his supplies as he was at hiding from his ex's."

They finished their meal in thoughtful silence. The rain continued to fall, a soft patter against the leaves above, as the three of them prepared to venture back out into the ruins of Sadorus. The night was closing in, and with it, the unknown dangers that lay hidden in the dark. But any chance to tip the scales in their favor was worth some manageable risk.

"Ready?" Xander said, receiving a pair of nods in return. " Good, let me go tell Harvey what's up, so he doesn't think something happened to us."

Not waiting for a reply, he jogged toward Harvey and the rest of his team. "Harvey," he called out, "I need a minute."

"What's up?"

"I'm taking Zoey and Jo for a quick jaunt around town. I want to scout out a couple of the shops. See if I can find a standing soda machine," Xander quipped.

"How long you thinking?"

"Figure we'll be gone an hour at most. Longer than that and we're in trouble and could use a hand."

"Sounds good. Stay safe."

"Head on a swivel, aye aye!" Xander said back, snapping into a mock salute.

"Ha ha, funny. Seriously, though. Keep an eye out. Something still feels off." Harvey said, while giving a one-fingered salute in reply.

With a last nod, Xander stepped into the night, the rain beginning to turn cold in the night air. Zoey and Jo followed close behind, their footsteps nearly silent on the muddy ground. The rain muffled the sounds of their departure, and within moments, the darkness swallowed them.

The town was a silhouette against the ink-black sky, its buildings swallowed by the darkness after only a hundred feet. Shadows danced at the edges of their vision, but the three moved with purpose, their path guided by Xander's memory of the town.

They moved swiftly, the rain a constant companion as they wound through the narrow streets, their senses heightened in the oppressive darkness. Their path was deliberate, taking them away from the direction the expedition had arrived from, toward the far side of town where Xander knew Dustin's house once stood.

It didn't take long for them to reach the edge of town, where the landscape opened into what was once a low-class neighborhood. Now, it was a scene of devastation. The houses here were in ruins; their walls crumbled, and their roofs caved in, as if some substantial force had torn through them without mercy.

"There," Xander whispered, pointing to a dark outline ahead.

Dustin's house was barely recognizable, a collapsed heap of timber and concrete. But in the backyard, partially obscured by the remnants of a fallen tree, was what they had come for. A twenty-foot shipping container, its metal sides gleaming dully in the rain.

But they weren't alone. Gnolls. The word formed in Xander's mind like a curse, his blood running cold at the sight. Gnolls gathered around the container, their bi-pedal canine forms barely visible in the gloom. Their low growls carried on the wind, mingling with the sound of rain. There were five, at least, maybe more, hidden in the shadows.

Zoey tightened her grip on her bow, eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation. "We're going to have to clear them out," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the rain.

Xander nodded, his mind already racing through their options. It appeared to be a scouting party. They couldn't afford to lose the supplies inside that container, but neither could they risk a larger confrontation with the gnolls if it wasn't necessary. The last thing they needed was to bring down a more significant force of gnolls on the expedition.

"We need to draw them away," he whispered. "Split them up, take them out individually if we can. Zoey, you take the high ground. Keep an eye out for any stragglers. Jo, you're with me. We'll try to lure them toward the south side of the yard. I don't want to take them head-on, in case there is a larger force, but we also can't leave a scouting party alive this close to the expedition. We do a sneaky snake on this one."

Zoey nodded, already scanning the area for a suitable vantage point. Jo flashed a quick, determined grin, her blade sliding silently from its sheath.

As they prepared to move, the night seemed to grow even darker, the rain more intense, as if the world was conspiring to keep them from their goal. But there was no turning back now. The container loomed before them, a tantalizing promise of loot amidst the chaos.

The three moved into action with a silent signal, slipping into the shadows. Xander couldn't help but hum the theme song to a popular spy thriller series in his head. Your mission, should you choose to accept it… is to survive this constant string of bullshit, he thought to himself as he ad-libbed the last part.